Aftermath
by Etheriell
Summary: The Aftermath of the War against Salem weighs heavily on everyone, but none moreso than Ruby...who has a secret she needs to tell.


**Just something that popped into my head while re-reading The Foxtrot by SimplyKorra (which is so good and if you haven't read it, you should.)**

* * *

Weiss knew she should be asleep. It was the first time she'd been in a bed in months. Only a week after the downfall of Salem, and finally, _finally_ , they had managed to get somewhere quiet and safe. Dragging unconscious and bleeding friends from the wreckage of Salem's castle, barely able to hold on...leaving behind memories they never wanted to have to begin with.

But she couldn't, not when she was still so worried about Ruby. She knew she wasn't the only one...Yang had bounced back, quicker than ever, smiles within a few days. Weiss and Blake were worried Yang was faking it, but when confronted, Yang made it clear. It was no fake. Yang had decided she refused to live in the past anymore, refused to live in memories of what happened. Salem was dead, her plans ruined, and though it did not destroy the Grimm, it was obvious that their numbers reduced significantly. When Weiss listened to her, she found herself envious of how mature Yang seemed, how kept together.

Yang gave them both a hug, thanking them for worrying, and promised she'd be there for them too. Which Blake had needed. Blake couldn't stop the dreams, couldn't stop the fear, and with her stuck in bed this entire time due to the damage her back had taken, she felt so trapped. It had been Yang who kept her company, who kept her up to date when Weiss was still trying to simply catch her breath.

And Ruby. Ruby was the one all three of them worried about. Blake had recovered that day, and had been able to be moved. It was why the four of them were finally in an actual house, with real beds, able to sleep soundly. Or so Weiss hoped the others were doing. But Ruby, she hasn't said a word, not in the seven days since everything had happened. When they found her, she was unconscious, lying in a puddle of blood, black ichor and red stains across the floor. Right before her, Salem's body lay, colorless and deathly still.

What struck Weiss as strangest was how...peaceful, the scene seemed. Salem's clothing hid the wounds as Ruby's hid hers, leaving the two of them looking like they were simply sleeping on the floor. None of them had wanted Ruby to face Salem alone, but Ruby hadn't given them a chance to go. She'd blasted past the Grimm, past all of the minions Salem had collected, eyes aflame, nothing but a silver bullet heading straight for Salem's heart. The two of them had disappeared further into the castle, leaving the rest to desperately try to catch them.

Yang and Blake, after they had rescued Ruby, had been so angry with her. Outwardly, Weiss was too, but she knew her partner. She knew why Ruby had done it. She hated it, but she understood that Ruby simply did not want Salem to hurt anyone else. Ruby was confident she could hold Salem off long enough for them to clean up the rest of the fight, and leaving Salem alone to do as she wanted would have been the death knell for them and all of the hunters who had joined them in this final battle.

But a week later and Ruby hadn't said a word. She woke up within a few hours, her Aura having seemingly healed up the wound in her chest, but she hadn't spoken. She'd just lain in bed and stared at the ceiling, responding to others with barely a nod or a shake of her head. And so, Weiss couldn't sleep. She couldn't, not when she worried about Ruby as much as she was. It was no secret to anyone, save Ruby, that Weiss was in love with her partner, but Ruby seemed too oblivious to notice.

Weiss knew she was going to get nowhere at this rate. She resolved to get up and go for a walk when she felt a pressure on her shoulder, as if someone was touching her. It triggered every instinct in her body and she flung herself up into a seated position, hands already in the middle of a gesture to summon a glyph, when her eyes met silver. Realizing it was Ruby, she stopped mid-gesture, eyes wide in fear. Placing a hand over her chest and gulping in air, she looked over at Ruby's standing form. "Ruby! You scared me!"

Ruby slowly lowered herself to the side of Weiss' bed, her eyes downcast. Weiss noticed she was clad in a simple tank top and shorts, as though she had just gotten out of bed herself. Ruby sighed, before whispering "I'm sorry, Weiss."

Weiss blinked. The first time Ruby had spoken in a week, and it was an apology? For something so stupid? No, she had to fix that, Ruby didn't need this. "No, no, I'm sorry for snapping. I just…"

"Reacted. Yeah. I know. I...think we'd all do that. I didn't think. I just...you know, I should go. I'm sorry for disturbing your sleep." Ruby made as if to stand up, but Weiss' hand shot out and grabbed her wrist before she could.

"Ruby...you came here for a reason. Don't go. I wasn't sleeping anyways."

Ruby turned slightly, one leg coming up to rest on the bed as well as she looked over at Weiss. "Why not?"

Weiss let out a sad half smile. She knew better than to lie to Ruby, knew she could never seem to deceive Ruby. "I was worried about you. You haven't spoken in a week, Ruby."

Ruby lowered her head to her chest and closed her eyes. "I figured. I'm sorry. I just...needed...to get things straight, in my head, you know? After what happened…"

"What do you mean? You killed Salem, saved the world. I imagine it was scary, but...you won."

Ruby took a deep breath. She turned to Weiss and opened her eyes, silver surrounded by unshed tears. Without a sound, she reached out to Weiss, wrapping her arms around her partner and burying her face in Weiss' shoulder. Weiss took it in stride, embracing Ruby tightly. She felt Ruby push forward, pushing her back, and even though it confused her, she accepted it. Falling back onto the bed with Ruby laying half atop her, she squeezed tightly as Ruby sobbed quietly into her shoulder.

"...do you want to get under the covers, Ruby?" Weiss asked quietly. She felt more than saw Ruby's nod, and so reached down to push the blanket covering her down. With some adjustment, Ruby managed to get under it without losing her grip on Weiss. After a few minutes, where Ruby's sobs trailed off and her breath evened out, Weiss took a gamble and asked the question she was afraid to know the answer to. "Ruby...what happened?"

Ruby's response was immediate, her entire body tensing up for a moment, before she relaxed once more. Letting out a deep sigh, she lifted her head up enough to look at Weiss in the eyes. "I'm only alive because Salem saved me."

Weiss blinked. Blinked again. Her brain wouldn't comprehend what Ruby had said, so she just gaped at her partner. She shook her slightly to clear it, determined to hear her out. "But...wasn't she the one who almost killed you?"

Ruby sighed. "Yes. And then saved me."

"Ruby, that doesn't-"

"I know how it sounds!" Ruby nearly shouted, instantly recoiling when she felt Weiss rock back in shock. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just...please...listen to me." Weiss nodded slowly, staying quiet and letting Ruby talk. Ruby took a steadying breath.

* * *

Ruby knew she was dying. Her legs wouldn't move, she could barely breathe, blood kept flowing from the hole in her chest. But Salem was too. Ruby could see it, could see the gaping hole in Salem's side, could hear it in the Grimm Queen's breathing. The only difference between them was that Salem could still walk, it seemed, as she approached the fallen Ruby.

Looming over her, Salem cocked her head as she looked down at Ruby's prone form. Ruby glared up at her, small flickers of silver flame still in her eyes. Salem pursed her lips. "Ozpin has lost. The world knows about him, about me. About the Maidens, and the Warriors of Silver Eyes. He has no more secrets to hide."

" _You_ lost! You're gonna die! You don't get a victory! We stopped you!" Ruby snarled back, her energy fading moments after her outburst and making her lay her head back down.

"I achieved what I desired. My death is immaterial to that. What matters is that Ozpin pays for his sins, and he shall, forevermore. But you...you...you do not want to die, do you?"

"J-just shut up," Ruby managed to gasp out.

Salem knelt beside Ruby, her gaze becoming curious. "My purpose is done upon this world. But tell me, warrior of the silver flame, is yours? Did you do everything you wanted to do?"

Ruby didn't want to respond, or even think, but still, her mind would not cooperate. Her dad. Her uncle. Her friends. . Weiss...everyone she loved, who she'd never see again. All the things she never told them, the things she'd never said. The things she wanted to do, the places she wanted to see. Salem's lips quirked a bit when she saw Ruby's face twitch.

"As I thought. You do not wish to die."

"What does it matter to you?" Ruby said quietly.

Salem shrugged. "We are both dying. Your strike was true, as was mine. What harm is there in talking?"

Ruby contemplated for a second, before sighing. "Fine! I don't want to die! But I'll take it, if it means everyone else is safe. Happy?!"

"Happy...what an interesting word. Why don't you wish to die, warrior?"

"Because! I wanted to do things! I wanted to have fun, have a home, be able to see other places, be with the people I love...maybe tell her how I feel…" Ruby trailed off as she looked away from Salem, closing her eyes.

"Tell her how you feel, hmm? You have a lover?"

"No. I didn't tell her. I didn't want her to know...in case...this happened. Didn't want that burden on her, I guess. Not like you even know what love is."

Salem smiled sadly. "Oh, I understand love far better than you may ever know, warrior." She paused, cocking her head as she looked at her hand, saw the color draining from it. "My time has come. But...you have much to do, warrior of silver flame. Goodbye, Ruby." Salem reached down, placing her hand over the hole in Ruby's chest. Ruby's eyes went wide at the pressure, blood spurting slightly as the red began to cover Salem's hand. She wanted to speak, but could find no breath as a surge of burning pain shot through her. Black flames burst up from where Salem's hand had been placed, and Ruby's back arches as she felt her skin searing, mercifully passing out moments later.

* * *

"And that's where you found me. My aura didn't heal that wound...I had none left. Salem did." Ruby trailed off. Laying her head back down into Weiss' shoulder, she waited for the response, but none came. She lifted her head up to look down at Weiss, seeing the white-haired woman with her eyes wide and utterly confused. "Weiss?" Ruby gently shook Weiss to get her attention.

Weiss shook her head rapidly. "I...I don't know what to say, Ruby."

Ruby sighed. "Yeah...I still don't know how to feel about it. I've just been processing it, I guess." The silence stretched out for a few minutes as Ruby lay her head down, both women with much to think about, but Weiss broke it first.

"Ruby?"

"Hmm?"

"What...did you mean, by telling her how you felt?" Weiss ventured. She felt Ruby stiffen in her arms, but waited patiently. Ruby lifted herself up onto her elbows, looking down at Weiss, staring deep into her eyes. After a moment, it looked like Ruby saw what she wanted to see, and she moved. Weiss gulped as Ruby straddled her, placing her hands on either side of Weiss' head and hovering above her.

"I love you, Weiss. I've loved you for what feels like my entire life. I didn't want to tell you before the fight, I didn't want you to go into that with that hanging over your head. But whatever Salem was, she was right about one thing. I have a lot to do. And I want to do it with you...if you'll have me."

Weiss reached up her hands to cup Ruby's cheeks gently. Pulling Ruby down so their foreheads met, she whispered "I have loved you longer than I care to recall. I will always be by you. I am yours, for eternity, Ruby Rose."

Ruby didn't bother waiting anymore. She'd waited too long, and so she kissed Weiss softly, feeling her dry chapped lips brush against her own. Letting out a soft sigh, she broke the kiss and lowered herself down to rest on Weiss' chest. Weiss began to softly run her fingers through Ruby's hair. Ruby closed her eyes and spoke in a low tone. "Can I stay here? I'm afraid to be alone, tonight."

"Then we can be afraid together," Weiss responded in a whisper. Ruby gave her a soft squeeze, sighing as she allowed herself to drift off to the sound of Weiss' heartbeat. Weiss let herself follow suit, a soft smile on her face as for the first time in months...she slept peacefully.


End file.
